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Preacher: Pastor David Ball
Scripture: Joshua 21
God is faithful and the fulfiller of all His promises. He promised to give his people a land for their own possession, rest from their afflictions, and victory over their enemies and in Joshua 21 those promises were fully realized. Joshua 21 is just a foreshadowing of the greater promises that God has made to all his people. Through Jesus Christ, God has given His people the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, Eternal rest for our souls, and the ultimate victory over sin, death and the devil. The God who was faithful in Joshua 21 continues to be faithful today and the fruit of His faithfulness in our lives is the fullness of Joy, the rootedness of grace, and the inspiration of hope that endures forever.
Transcript
Well for those uh who may be guests of ours today for the first time uh you’re you’re coming into uh really we’re getting close to the end which is hard to believe of the uh the the Book of Joshua we’ve gone on a very very long journey uh with them as they entered into the promised land uh to to conquer the land just a a bit of a a reminder because it’s probably easy to forget after all this time of why we began this uh and the reason we began this is because this this time of Joshua and of the Conquering of the promised land uh it just it wasn’t just about taking possession of land it was it was about what God was doing in the hearts of his people and who he was preparing them to be as occupiers of the land God was looking to to to mold for himself a people uh who would be a light to the Nations a people who would reflect him to the Nations around them and so he was teaching them lessons all along the line he he had promised to them that he was going to uh give them this land he had promised them that he was going to uh that he was going to uh all their enemies would be uh would be chased away before them he had made all those promises to them it was already a done deal but he wanted them to go through the process because he was using it to build their faith to transform them into the kind of people that he wanted them to be you know I think as Christians we we can often uh think of a life with Christ as being all about what does God want me to do and we can get a bit uh a bit obsessed with what God wants us to do what’s the next thing he wants us to do and then we worry did we do enough did we do the right thing should I have done something different and life can get awfully confusing uh disappointing even at times certainly dis disillusionment can overtake us cuz CU there’s not much confidence in that but but what the life with Christ is really about is is less about what we do and about who we are or in other words who he’s making us to be the people that he’s making us to be and that’s what he was doing with his people all throughout this journey and it’s my hope and prayer that that’s what he’s doing in us as he’s preparing us to go in and take possession of this new building that he so graciously has provided for us that’s coming before we know it because more importantly than what we do and we’re going to do stuff right we’re going to do stuff that’s what churches do they do stuff but more importantly than the stuff we do is who we are it’s who we are it’s the kind of hearts that that people are going to find when when they come into those doors are they going to find uh people who are uh who are full of pride are they going to find people that uh that aren’t very welcoming what kind of people are they going to find or are they going to find people who are filled with joy are they going to find a people who are who are rooted in grace are they going to find a people who are inspired by the hope of the Gospel that that’s been that God has given to us because that’s what’s going to transform our community that’s what’s going to transform uh our community for Christ that’s how people are going to know that we’re followers of Christ Jesus said it’s by the way that we have love uh for one another it’s the way that we witness to others who we are that’s going to make all the difference and so I I’m concerned in this in this process as we go through Joshua is who is the Lord molding us to be who is he molding you to be who is he molding me to be and today we come to a a in some ways a gracious end to the allotment um we have been slugging through the past uh the past few we well more than a few uh weeks looking at all the allotments as uh as the different tribes of Israel received their their inheritance and uh We’ve look we’ve talked about borders and we’ve talked about Refuge cities and we’ve gone through so much uh and today the the Levites were handed out you know what was what was theirs uh that was given to them we were already told that the Lord was the Levites uh inheritance these are the priests that God had set aside the tribe of uh of Levi that they would serve the Tabernacle and later they would serve the temple they would serve the Lord and and Lead services and the sacrifices uh but they still had families they still had lives that had to be uh that that they needed to be sustained in and so the Lord graciously out of what he had given to all the other tribes gave the the cities to the Levites so they could support themselves and their fam so they could dedicate their lives to uh the service of the Lord in his in his Temple uh but what I want to really focus on today is the very last part of this of this chapter verses 43 to the end thus the Lord G this is after all the allotments have been given this is after even the Levites have received what uh what God had promised to them this is what we’re told thus the lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers and they took possession of it and they settled there and the lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers not one of all their enemies had withstood them for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed all came to pass all came to pass I don’t know who said it I think I’ve read I’ve seen a bunch of different people said it so it’s just a I said it um it says you can give without loving but you cannot love without giving it’s it’s a powerful powerful thing if you think about it and in this this that little brief those last verses there the Lord has shown just how much he loves his people by what he gave by what he gave to them there’s there’s uh four well there’s three things that God gave were told specifically the first one he gave them the land for their possession in other words he gave them a home he gave them a place to belong he gave them a place that that was their own uh remember he called Abraham out of uh to leave his home and he made a people for himself and until now they have been wandering they’ve been Nomads they’ve been enslaved they haven’t had a home they’ve just been following in faith and God’s been been with them and directing them all along but now God had promised to their fathers that he would give them a home a pro the promised land and God has fulfilled it he’s given them a place to belong A Home of Their Own the second thing the lord gave we’re told is the lord gave them rest on every side he gave them rest on other side this word rest it means like a cessation from hostility he gave them rest from from their enemies that were all around them right they finally know rest they’ve know nothing but tribulation after tribulation since the time of slavery it’s been one thing after another another there has been no peace there has been no rest but now God has given them rest in the land on every side they finally know some peace in their lives the third thing the lord gave them he says the Lord gave their enemies into their hands in other words the Lord’s given them Victory he’s given them Victory he’s given them home he’s given them peace and he’s given them Victory and he did it all yes for his own Glory yes he did it because he wants them to to be a light to the Nations his witnesses to all those around that he is the one true God but he did it because he loves them because he loves them and he called them by Grace as he called Abraham to follow him and he’s proven it over and over and over again through their Disobedience he’s remained faithful yes he’s corrected them and at times he’s rebuked them uh at times he’s disciplined them but he’s always remained faithful to their promises until now we’re told here at the end of 21 not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed all came to pass so as I told you the Lord’s preparing them he’s building them up to be the kind of people he wants them to be and the kind of people he wants them to be is a people who trust him as the one who delivers on his promises the one that they can count on the one they can trust they’re the one they don’t have to doubt they can believe in him because he’s true to everything he said he’s proven it to them over and over again in this process of Conquering the land and so what does that have to do with us
you know the God God gives because he loves to love means to give God cannot not give God longs to give himself ultimately to us but just as God gave to the people of Israel the land for their own possession a home he gave them rest on every side his peace and he gave their enemies into their hands he gave them victory as we’ve talked about this is just a picture of the Gospel this is just a picture of what God was planning to do through his son Jesus Christ for us and so if we look at these the the correlation between what God gave think of it this way in the New Testament in the New Covenant that we have in Christ what have we been given we’ve been given the Kingdom of Heaven the Kingdom of Heaven Matthew 16 verse 19 Jesus said I will give you the keys to the kingdom how’s that for a promise not just not just a a home and and and with borders and in a small little area uh in the in the middle of it’s not nowhere but you know in in the middle of uh you know a small area there in the middle of the Middle East uh he goes I’m going to give you the keys to the kingdom I’m going to give you everything that’s what I promise you in my son Jesus Christ that you put your faith into him in him the kingdom is yours and Jesus told us the way to into that Kingdom and that is to repent and believe in him to turn from our sinful ways of our selfish ways and to turn towards him to trust in him alone for our Salvation to trust that Jesus Paid the full penalty alone alone for our sins and that we are made fully righteous in him alone not in our own works that’s how much God loves us he’s given us the keys to the kingdom through his son Jesus Christ the second thing in correlation to what he gave to his people in Joshua 21 uh he has given us a greater rest he gave them rest from their enemies he has given us must rest for our souls you know the passage well because we we read it almost every week in the course of our worship in Matthew 11: 28- 29 Jesus said come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls
now how is rest for our souls greater than than than rest from our enemies on every side because the rest of our soul for our souls means a rest from trying to earn our salvation and our place with God we cannot earn or work our way to righteousness it is a gift alone from a God who loves us and gave his own son that by faith we may be clothed in his righteousness the righteousness of the son the son who makes us hirs to the kingdom that’s the kind of rest that we’re given that’s an eternal rest that’s a rest that never ends that’s a rest that we never have to doubt we never have to fret we never have to worry because our Eternal rest has been guaranteed for us by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross which brings me to the final gift that correlates to Joshua 21 he gave them victory over their enemies he put their enemies into their hands friends he’s given us a better Victory a better Victory by far the Apostle Paul proclaimed it and uh in 1 Corinthians chap 15: 50 to 57 he says I tell you this Brothers flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God nor does the perishable inherit uh the per nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable behold I tell you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment and the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed for this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this Mortal body must put on immortality when the perishable puts on the imperishable and the Mortal puts on immortality then shall come to pass the saying that is written death is swallowed up in Victory oh death where is your Victory oh death where is your Sting the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law but thanks be to the God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ friends in Christ our enemies have been defeated they’ve been conquered once and for all sin has been conquered by Christ on the cross and The Sting of sin death has been conquered once and for all because Jesus rose from the grave and the evil one himself the strong man has been bound he has no power over us friends we have been given the ultimate Victory and we know even though sin continues to creep up and try to to pull us back we know it cannot win and we know where the final Victory lies yes L that when Jesus returns he will make all things new there will be no more mourning no more crying no more weeping no more pain no more sorrow but all things will be made new and we will know Joy Everlasting in him friends what is he trying to do with us what is God trying to do in us he’s trying to create and us a people who trust that he’s the one who fulfills his promises is that we can trust him that we can risk boldly with our lives and service for him because he’s got it we can’t outgive God can we it’s not even possible we can trust him with all that he has before us with our lives and when we when we begin to trust that he is the fulfiller of all promises and the true Giver of all good gifts friends that’s when the fruit in our own Hearts becomes true
Joy a rootedness of Grace in our
lives and a hope that inspires us to Contin continue to reach others with this good news that we have been given in Christ he’s the fulfiller of all promises how could we not want everyone else to
know friends this is the good news of Joshua 21 he’s the fulfiller of all promises in him in Christ through faith in him the keys to the kingdom are ours rest for our souls is eternal and his victory over death is once and for all Let Us Praise Him and give him thanks amen Heavenly Father you are good you are gracious and you are The Giver of all good things because you are love and love cannot do anything but give and you long to give us all good things Lord help us to fully receive and to embrace and own the promises that we have in our savior Christ that we have the keys to the kingdom they’re ours they’re in our possession that we do have rest that there is no doubt we are secure in you that Victory Is Ours that sin cannot over overcome us death cannot drag us down to the pit and Satan cannot rule Our Lives because Jesus you have bought and paid for us through your life on the cross will you fill us with joy will you fill us with Grace will you fill us with the hope that we have in you alone that we might be the kind of people that you want us to be that we might reach those who so desperate L need you with the love that you long to give to them Jesus we pray this in your mighty name amen
